Decolonizing Bodies & Data Sovereignty: An Indigenous Perspective on Wellness in Canadian Urban Centres

The adverse effects of contemporary colonial practices have been identified as a determinant of poor health resulting in lower states of wellness in Indigenous populations. This has influenced indigenous peoples’ efforts to shape and determine their well-being through the resurgence of indigenous worldviews as a strengths-based response to ongoing colonial practices. How does understanding well-being through a decolonizing research and supporting data sovereignty approach support an understanding of well-being that will be of benefit to urban Indigenous people and the communities to which they live? This research has been conducted in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in British Columbia based in participatory action research, and guided by Indigenous ethical frameworks, principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access and Possession) that relies on qualitative and quantitative techniques to inform determinants of health and wellness for urban Indigenous people across Canada. A decolonizing lens invites readers and users of this information to consider an alternative way to think about urban Indigenous health and well-being that is anchored in Indigenous traditional knowledge systems, community values, and an interconnected holistic approach to well-being.